Posted!

Join the Conversation

This conversation is moderated according to USA TODAY's
community rules.
Please read the rules before joining the discussion.

Pumpkin spice craze: Hanover-Adams businesses take on the fall trend

Lillian Reed, Hanover
Published 11:21 a.m. ET Oct. 12, 2015

Buy Photo

Lindsay Free, owner of Mag's & Me Pet Grooming on York Street in Penn Township, dries Zoey, a small breed mix, on Oct. 7 after giving her a pumpkin spice shampoo bath. Mag's & Me Pet Grooming has been open for business since May and this is the first time Free has decided to offer clients a chance to have their pet smell like pumpkin spice.(Photo: Shane Dunlap &#8212; The Evening Sun)Buy Photo

Some credit the pumpkin pie-like flavor and the spicy smell. Others say it's all about science.

Whatever the reason, pumpkin spice continues to inspire gourd-themed creativity in local business owners — that is, until Christmas rolls around.

Winemaker: Pumpkin wine tastes so fine

It all started with the craft beer movement, said Katie Martin, a special projects and marketing manager at the Adams County Winery.

This year the winery released Dancing Pumpkin, a Vidal wine infused with pumpkin juice and spices.

Statistically, men go for beer and women tend to go for wine, Martin said. So when craft beer started to become more popular, breweries created a sweeter pumpkin beer to get women in the door, she said.

Now craft wineries are beginning to crop up on the scene with creative new flavors to compete with the beer industry, Martin said, adding that Adams County Winery is offering a pumpkin wine.

"You can heat it and mull it by adding honey and an orange," Martin said. "It tastes so nice. If you like pumpkin pie, you are going to love it."

The winery is almost completely sold out of the beverage, but is looking in to creating another batch that will last through Thanksgiving, she said.

Groomer: Kids love a pumpkin-scented pooch

Though some might think of the flavor as a delectable treat to be consumed, local business owner Lindsay Free has found great success offering a pumpkin spice dog grooming package at her business, Mag's & Me pet grooming in Penn Township.

"This time of year, everyone is obsessed with pumpkin spice," she said. "People seriously love it."

She has a pumpkin spice pooch shampoo and a cologne spray that she applies to complete the package.

Dogs seem pretty indifferent to the scent, Free said, adding that they probably think she's crazy. The scent is really for the owners to enjoy.

"All the kids talk about how their dogs smells like a pumpkin when they come to pick them up," she said.

Salon owner: Spice sensation makes scientific sense

If you ask Meghan Livelsberger, owner and operator of the Pampered by Meghan nail salon and massage parlor in McSherrystown, it makes scientific sense that pumpkin spice appeals so strongly to people.

"We learned that the cinnamon scent, our brain receptors are heightened when we can smell that," she said of studying the power of aromas and essential oils in massage school. "Men's cologne has cinnamon in it often because women are attracted to it. People are just attracted to that spicy cinnamon scent."

Livelsberger is offering seasonal pumpkin spice pedicures and massages and mud wraps this year for the first time. The service has been so popular that she plans to continue offering it until at least Dec. 1.

"I think it's also just that some people are so tired of summer, they are looking forward to the holidays," Livelsberger said. "It's your soft cuddle and coffee weather."